“It doesn’t have to be this way,” he called out to her. The faint lines on his face had tightened. “It doesn’t.”
There was no other way for it to be.
Marna grabbed for the fire escape.
And the thunder of another bullet chased after her.
“Some demons are so strong when it comes to glamour magic”—the captain sat on the edge of her desk and lifted one brow-—“that they can change every aspect of their bodies. When humans look at them, the fools see only what the demon wants them to see.”
Yeah, he knew this bit. So Tanner finished, “And in this case, some demon wanted that kid to see me?”
She nodded. “Looks like you’ve got yourself one powerful demon for an enemy.” Her head cocked to the right. “Know someone like that? Someone strong enough with glamour magic that he could copy your face and body? That he could be your twin?”
Tanner made sure to keep his expression blank. “No. I don’t know many demons.” He offered her a tight smile. “Demons and shifters aren’t exactly close.”
“Really?” One dark brow rose. Her nails tapped on her desk. “That’s odd, especially since the gossip I heard said that your own brother was a demon.”
Someone had been talking too much.
“A demon gifted with a high level of glamour power.” She gave a low whistle. “Now, that same gossip also told me that you had two brothers.”
“Brandt is dead.” She would know about him. In the paranormal world, everyone had known about his panther-shifter brother. Hard to ignore a sadistic alpha bent on raising hell.
And slaughtering everyone in his path.
“So the stories go.” Captain Pope rolled her shoulders. “But the stories also say that your family has a history of being some twisted f**ks.”
True. So much for sugar coating. Tanner rose. “You shouldn’t listen to so many stories.” Time to leave. Either she could throw his ass in jail or—
“And maybe you’re trusting the wrong person. Maybe fate didn’t just screw you with one sadistic killer of a brother. Maybe you’ve got two who want you dead.”
Tanner kept walking. “You’re wrong. I know Cody.” He’d protected his brother over the years. Taken punishments meant for his younger brother, over and over.
So much pain.
Cody wouldn’t turn on him.
And he sure wouldn’t turn on the only family he had left.
“We never know people nearly as well as we think.” Now a note of sadness had entered her voice. “We usually find out the truth far too late.”
He already knew the truth about Cody.
“We could clear this up quickly enough,” the captain offered. “Let me talk to Cody. Let me find out just what he’s capable of.”
Not a good idea. “My brother isn’t in the city.” He’d gone back to his place in the swamp. The guy craved his solitude. Being in the city just drove him crazy.
“So where is he?”
He could hear the rumble of voices on the other side of the door. “He’s got a makeshift clinic in the swamp. He helps out there.” Did she catch his not-so-subtle emphasis on help? Because Cody wasn’t a killer. He was a doctor. Tanner exhaled. Time to make a move. “What happens now?” If he walked out of that door, was he gonna have to beat off the uniforms who came gunning for him? He’d just like to know, so he could be ready for the fight.
“Three responders on scene saw that video.”
Tanner glanced back over his shoulder.
“Me,” she said with a shrug and lifted her hand. “Your partner, and a loud-mouthed uniform named Lawson. I think you know him.”
Yeah, he knew the dick.
“Now we just have to convince those two that the footage was fake.”
“And you think that’s gonna be easy?” Lawson had already picked out his cell.
“Easier than letting ’em know that demons are running wild on the streets, yeah.” Her eyes flashed black again. “Because some demons aren’t ready for the truth to be spilled to humans.”
He was guessing that she was one of those demons. Tanner cleared his throat. “Jonathan already knows about the supernaturals.”
Her gaze seemed to chill. “Is that why he was so eager to run off with his gun?”
Tanner hesitated. He didn’t like where this might be going.
“Humans who know the truth can be very, very dangerous,” she said.
Like he had to be told that. “Where is Jonathan?” A chill had settled in his gut.